Report: Fatah al-Islam Inmates Included Murder in their Roumieh Prison Escape Plan

Monday's failed prison break from Roumieh saved the prison from a “historic scandal,” as more than 60 Fatah al-Islam inmates planned to murder security guards and the escape before their fateful trials are due in February, the As Safir daily said.

An informant at the prison leaked news at dawn on Monday to the security guards on the prison escape plan. He said that the prisoners were able to make a huge hole in the iron door separating their prison ward and the control room which they planned to escape through, the daily added.

The prisoners planned to kill the security guards at the lower entrance of the control room after using the four 17-meter ropes to descend to their destination. Two buses were meant to be in waiting for the escape spree, well informed security sources said on condition of anonymity.

The massive escape attempt has been thwarted after guards found the ropes linking the observation tower to the facility's outer wall.

“The prisoners faked a roaring rebellion a few weeks ago, claiming water shortage in a bid to camouflage the noisy sound of iron sawing they were preparing for the spree,” security sources told the daily.

Even though Monday's prison break was thwarted, security officials expressed concerns for renewed attempts.

“The fateful trials of these prisoners are due in February, and they want to escape as soon as they can,” they told the the daily.

An unnamed security officer told As Safir that inmate Ghassan Sendakli who was found dead several days ago on rumors to have committed suicide, was actually severely beaten to death by Fatah al-Islam members.

Moreover, the officer pointed out that he received death threats from Fatah al-Islam prisoners. He said that he had sent a formal letter to his superiors explaining the threat in details but received no response so far.

Interior Minister Marwan Charbel played down the threat claims, telling Voice of Lebanon radio “we might as well all stay at home if we receive death threats.”

But he stressed that the “prison will be equipped with monitoring means next summer.”